Recognising movement with Visensys

How real-time image recognition can change the way crowds, buildings and transportation is managed

17. February 2019 Dortmund

More and more organisations consider the potential impact of AI on its strategy and investigate how this technology can be applied to its business problems. One of the most ubiquitous applications of AI is imitating human interactions or the ways humans perceive information. A chief segment here is vision – understanding of images and videos. Today, we will have a deeper look into one of the :agile startups ViSenSys that provides smart image processing software capable of recognising arbitrary objects based on the customers’ existing camera systems.

The Dortmund-based startup was founded in 2017 by Dr.-Ing. André Ibisch. The idea was born during his PhD studies back in 2016. Back then, André Ibisch was setting up the first pilot with the Audi AG to test sensor-based localisation system for the autonomous driving. Today, he is running a team of six employees and is already working with some well-known brands, DB Regio among others.

CEO André Ibisch at the :agile accelerator Launchpad

Visensys product, the intelligent observer, is able to classify motion, count objects, detect malfunctions and people. It consists of deep machine learning and computer vision and is applicable to any existing cameras systems. Compared to other vision-based systems, ViSenSys is independent from a special camera type and can be adapted to any existing analogue or digital camera systems and retro-fit the customers systems with new tailored features to their individual needs.

The intelligent observer brings value to different areas such as crowd management, transportation and objects inspection and have endless use cases. It can track occupancy of parking lots, manage the density of the crowd on train platforms and in stadiums, count people, detect gender and age, just naming a few. The company is currently discussing piloting opportunities with E.ON in the areas of buildings management and in-house safety and security.

Visiting natural gas storage facility in Kraak with :agile accelerator and the EKN Garage team

Vision recognition is still being questioned in the public sphere, as it often raises a question of data security. “Our software can identify and monitor critical situations without impacting privacy concerns as we are not saving any person related information,” explains Andre. “Let me give an example. To count people in a train we are tracking them walking in and out. We don’t save information about individuals: all that is interesting for us are the two numbers: how many people walk in and how many people walk out.”

CEO André Ibisch pitching on the #Entech Demo:Day Novemeber 2018

Because of the improving technology and services, urban areas experience a rapid growth. When asked, what André believes to be the driving force of the development of the smart cities, he didn’t hesitate: it is camera-based detection. “In my opinion, sensor technology will be the engine of the rapid growth,” he explains. “Examples could include counting people or vehicles on the streets, detecting free parking spaces or air pollution.”

The growing ViSenSys team still consists of computer scientists only. "It was important for us to develop the software close to perfection and focus on technology. But the times are changing. We are entering the market, talking to clients and looking for investors," Andre says. "My goal now is to find new employees or co-founders with economic background. That´s a necessary step in order to prepare ViSenSys for the next phase."